MVTAB Hears Reports From Two Non-Profits

By VERNON ROBISON

The Progress

The Moapa Valley Town Advisory Board (MVTAB) heard presentations from two community non-profit organizations last week during a meeting held on Wednesday, May 10. Both groups, made up of local residents, seek to improve educational and vocational opportunities for segments of the Moapa Valley population.

The first presentation came from members of the Aspire Center for Adolescents and Adults. This non-profit serves children and adults with a variety of disabilities, providing vocational training, community employment, day services, respite care for families and more.

Aspire president Nancy Postma, a long-time special education teacher with Clark County School District, gave a brief background of the organization to the board.
“A couple years back, some of us in the education field here in our Valley were concerned about our former students and the lack of services for the special needs adults here,” Postma said. “We were seeing these students graduate at 18 or 22 and literally just stay home, without any resources to help them.”

The group got together and formed Aspire to serve this segment of people. “Our board is a mix of people that bring their unique skill sets together to best serve the Aspire Center.”

Postma explained that the center currently gets special needs clients together regularly to provide vocational training and make various goods that can be sold at local vendor fairs. “This gives these exceptional adults the opportunity to socialize with friends, meet new people and learn some new skills,” she said.

The Center also works with other community organizations to assist its clients with job opportunities and training. They have placed several clients in jobs around the community, Postma said.

The center also hopes to offer respite care for clients of all ages in a day program, Postma added.
Local school psychologist, Greg Winzenreid, who serves on the Aspire board of directors, explained that the group serves a broad range of age groups and needs in its clientele.

“We offer services to all individuals with special needs,” Winzenreid said. “So that’s just a broad space and a multi-category approach.”

Aspire does not require assessments to qualify for services, Winzenreid explained. But many of the clients have had assessments from their time in the public schools.
“Some of our clients are 40, 50 and 60 years old,” Winzenreid added. “So having all of that paperwork doesn’t really matter.”

Local attorney Byron Mills said that he was enthused to be working with Aspire.
“I’ve caught the vision!” Mills said. “I am so excited for what we can offer this community; and not just the special need individuals but their families as well. It is a real need in our community.”

Mills explained that Aspire had received a generous donation of a five acre parcel south of Overton from a local resident. The group plans to build a full-service center on the site including a sensory room, an arts and craft room, a therapy room, a music room, a computer lab, a gym and more.

Mills said that the group had already worked with an architect to draw up plans for the center. Aspire is seeking grant funding to do this, as well as community donations, both large and small – cash and in-kind.
“We have literally seen people come out of the woodwork wanting to help with this project,” Mills said. “People who have said they are willing to help with earthwork, electrical, plumbing and so on. All of that reduces the cost of construction and helps us immensely.”

Mills said that the project is at the stage where it is asking for the support of the town board. He requested that the board provide a letter of support, as Aspire begins seeking grant funding and other assistance.

MVTAB members expressed enthusiasm for the project. “As a board, we will be glad to write a letter of support for you,” said MVTAB chairwoman Janice Ridondo.

The second report was given by local pilot Tim Deberardinis about the Perkins Field Flying Club.
DeBerardinis explained that the flying club is a non-profit formed in 2020 to further the interest in aviation in the community.

The club owns an aircraft at Perkins Field which can be used by club members to fly or receive flight instruction. Deberardinis stated that the club has already assisted in several local youth getting flight training and becoming licensed pilots. One of these has even gone on to become a pilot for SkyWest airlines, he said.

Deberardinis explained that members of the club pay annual dues of $300. Then they are able to schedule time in the aircraft at $95 per hour plus fuel costs. “It is a fairly accessible way for local residents to learn how to fly and get their pilots license,” Deberardinis said.

Over the past two years, the club has planned annual open house events at the airport in the month of October. Among other things, the event offers local children the chance to take a flight in an aircraft. For some it is their first time, Deberardinis said.

The club brings in pilots and their airplanes from all across the region to participate in providing flights for the kids.
“This last year, we had 14 airplanes flying out of Perkins Field,” Deberardinis said. “We flew 144 kids that day.”

Deberardinis said that the club received a letter of commendation from the FAA safety manager in Las Vegas, who had attended the open house, stating that the club had done an exemplary job of managing the event up to all safety standards.

Deberardinis also talked about upcoming improvements going on at the airport. “You might have noticed that there is fencing going up and roads being built up there just west of the airport,” he said. “That is all to pave the way for an $8 million overhaul of the airport.”

Deberardinis said that general aviation airports in the region are reaching capacity. The renovation is part of a plan to bring more traffic and commerce through Perkins Field and into the community, he said.

The improvements will include a complete resurfacing of the runway and taxiway, updating the runway lighting system, new weather monitoring systems and renovation of the pilots lounge. But Deberardinis wondered what else was expected to be changed at the airport.
“We would like to have someone from Clark County Aviation come out and talk to us about what all is planned at the airport,” Deberardinis said.

MVTAB member Jill Williams said that she had already contacted the department and requested that a presentation be made before the board.